bigted

Yeah he already served his time for that and cleaned his life up, he shouldn't be punished for that one mistake forever

Most people probably wouldn't think that Kurtis Blow was affiliated with gangs considering the type of music he made but that just shows the maturity that he's had, he could easily had an exuse to rap about it a lot 'cause he lived that life but he wanted to put more positive energy out there in his music and he ended up becoming one of the first successful rap stars, some of today's rappers need to learn from that, and he's right that it's gonna take love to get hip-hop to come together, nice to hear all the things that he's doing by getting hip-hop elements associated with the church, the man is a living legend :bowdown:

"Five years from now what do you see yourself doing? 2Pac:.. I see myself having a job on Death Row...being the A&R person and an artist that drop an album like Paul McCartney every five years. Not that I'm like Paul McCartney but there's no rapper who ever did it so that's why I use him as an example... But I wanna do it at leisure. My music will mean something and I'll drop deeper ****. I'll have my own production company which I'm close to right now...I'm doing my own movies. I have my own restaurant...which I got right now with Allanis or Suge or Snoop. I just wanna expand. I'm starting to put out some calendars for charity. I'm gonna start a little youth league in California so we can start playing some east coast teams..some southern teams ...I wanna have like a Pop Warner League except the rappers fund it and they're the head coaches. Have a league where you can get a big trophy with diamonds in it for a nigguh to stay drug free and stay in school. That's the only way you can be on the team. We'll have fun and eat pizza and have the finest girls there and throw concerts at the end of the year. That's what I mean by giving back." Interview by Sway of The Wake Up Show...it first aired on KMEL's Westside Radio on April 19 1996.. Transcribed by KMEL's Davey D c 1996 EDIT: If any of you haven't read the whole interview I suggest check it out, you really get an understanding of what was going on his mind during the drama of his life, btw most of the rappers that he fueded with was 'cause they disrespected him one way or another, he didn't want to go around and beef but they kept on bringing his name up, after awhile I think rappers would probably be more careful in doing that had he lived, Biggie was quieting down and I think the others would've too, now if they weren't doing that I don't think he'd diss them, but he probably wouldn't want to work with these fake rappers if they diss him or not, he loved hip-hop but he didn't like to deal with fake people: http://www.daveyd.com/pacwestin.html

Kurtis Blow: Fully Blown By Tanisha Alston Not many people in Hip-Hop can claim to have been there from the beginning. From B-boy to DJ, MC to producer, actor to preacher, Kurtis Blow has done it all. One of Hip-Hop’s renaissance men, Blow has been in the game since its infancy and shows no signs of slowing down. As many of his peers sit back and declare the new school shows no respect for the architects, Blow wants the world to know he has nothing but love. And why shouldn’t he? Nas wouldn’t have had one of the biggest selling singles of 1996 if Kurt hadn’t already ruled the world back in 1985. Back in 1999 Lil’ Bow Wow couldn’t have gotten his little Jordan on if he Blow didn’t give us “Basketball” first. Folks seem to forget that Blow was one of the first Hip-Hop acts to go on tour internationally. You don’t become one of games first millionaires staying local. Blow chats with AllHipHop.com about Hip-Hop history, gangs, The Hip-Hop Church, and how the culture has blessed him in more ways than one. AllHipHop.com: In Ronin Ro’s Book Have Gun Will Travel, he makes reference to some incidents you had with gang members in the mid ‘80s. What happened? Kurtis Blow: I had one bad incident in the airport when I was fighting my bodyguard. My bodyguard was one of the Bloods. He was 6’2”, 230 pounds and hard. We fought for about ten minutes in LAX Airport. AllHipHop.com: What happened? Why did the fight begin? Kurtis Blow: It was devastating! We were giving our best blows. The cops came and stopped the fight. They were going to arrest him. Because, well…actually it was just an altercation. I really don’t want to go into that. But, you know somebody 155 [pounds] boxing somebody at 230 [pounds] is not really a good fight. I held my own for about ten minutes straight. It was some quick jabs, puffing up eyes, but I want a rematch. [laughs] Not! AllHipHop.com: Was he fired after that? Kurtis Blow: Well, no. Actually, I had a lot of his weapons. [laughs] So he was really nice to me after that…until he could get all his weapons back. That was something. Slowly after that, I realized that I had problems with these cats. AllHipHop.com: Are you talking about the Bloods? Kurtis Blow: Gang members, period. I’ve had problems with gang members. A lot of times, you have to hold your tongue or else it’s on. You’re fighting. Then after the fight, you gotta get your guns. Then it’s whoever sees who first you gonna kill each other. They are playing for real, playing for keeps. In order for me to befriend these cats, I have to live like that. I realized that it’s a serious, serious life. We should not have to live like that. If you make mistakes and say something wrong to someone, you take them off. It’s life or death. AllHipHop.com: What did you notice was different about New York gangs versus California gangs? Kurtis Blow: More weapons in L.A. Everybody has a gun, [if not] two or three guns. On New Years in L.A., people shoot off the guns at 12 o’clock. If you are in the hood on New Years, it really sounds like a war zone. I had to do a gig at Skateland, a known Blood hangout. I mean they always gave me respect. I always had love from all the Bloods and all the Crips. They know I am a triple OG. So out of 18 years of being in L.A., I had maybe two altercations where things went to blows. I never had to shoot off a gun. It was always love. Living like that is not very smart in terms of your chances of being in an altercation. Yes, I was blessed and lucky not to have been in a situation in all of those years where I had to kill someone or get shot at. As a matter of fact, I stopped a lot of that stuff. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time is another factor. That’s what’s so good about the DVD [slippin—Ten Years with The Bloods] It presents that whole situation and shows guys who were actually living it either got out of it, don’t like it, or were killed. It shows the reality of what I am really talking about. AllHipHop.com: Your song “8 Million Stories”, that was about ‘80s New York. If you remade it today what are some of the different things you would say lyrically? Kurtis Blow: It would probably be faster. The language would change. We don’t say “fresh” or even “dope.” Raps are faster. The flows are faster. It’s kind of cool and challenging for the old school to keep up with it. AllHipHop.com: You ever think of recording again? Kurtis Blow: I do a lot of Gospel recording now. I just did Fox News, and they tried to have me on as someone who was against rap today. I was looking at [the host] like he was crazy. I love everybody. My whole thing is because I do what I do, over 150 songs, and never used profanity, doesn’t mean I disagree with what they are doing now. Busta Rhymes’ new album is out of here. It’s off the chain to me. Jay-Z, Snoop, Eminem; Hip-Hop today is incredible and I love it. I don’t want anyone to get that wrong about me. I am not a hater on the sidelines. I’m not frustrated like the old schoolers. It’s gonna take love for us to come together. Because I’m different doesn’t mean that I don’t love, appreciate and support what’s going down right now. AllHipHop.com: A lot of people don’t know that Reverend Run used to be your protégé and early on was known as “The Son of Kurtis Blow.” How did you hook up with him? Kurtis Blow: Russell Simmons and I met in college in 1977. He had a younger brother named Run. When I was 18, he was 13; about five years younger than us. He became my protégé. What was really good l about him was a 13 year old rappin’ kid. He really got good by going around his neighborhood in Hollis, Roosevelt, Jamaica and all around Queens at the park jams during the summer. And between 13 and 15, he really got good. So when I got the record deal I made him my DJ because by then he had become a DJ. His dad got him some turntables and he used to practice all the time. He used to practice up in his attic. I used to give him pointers and we would be rockin’. He would come out and DJ for me, and I would DJ for him. We just developed this little show that was the most incredible. We played together for about six months. Then I did “The Breaks”. I was going out on tour in 1980, opening up for the Commodores. It was an 80 city tour. I was the first rapper to tour. But Joey [Run] broke his arm and couldn’t tour with me. He wanted to go out anyway, but his dad said no. He had to stay home. But he was DJing with one arm! It broke his heart. I was on tour for the next six months or so. He stayed home and formed his own group called Run-DMC. AllHipHop.com: So by the time you came back… Kurtis Blow: They had a record, a group and they put out “Sucker MC’s” and “It’s Like That”. That’s how Run-DMC was formed. If Joey didn’t break his arm, there would be no Run-DMC. He would still be my DJ. That’s my ace. That was my homey. AllHipHop.com: So how did Kurtis Blow get down with the Hip-Hop Church? Kurtis Blow: Basically it was a vision from God to do these Hip-Hop churches. It rolled, and the kids really embraced it. The people really supported it and the kids really come out and dance. It’s a basic service to bring the kids to church. It’s a huge ministry. Our whole thing is youth empowerment. The kids are the future of the church. They run the church. It’s an incredible way to present the gospel and God to a lot of the kids out there. It’s non-denominational and everyone is welcome. There are three of them. The first one was in New York City [at] Harlem at the Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church that’s on 146th between 7th & Lenox [Avenues] and it’s every Thursday from 6:30 till 9 [PM]. The second one is in Philly, part of the Metro Christ Foundation. And one in L.A., at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 93 Crenshaw Boulevard, and it's held every first Friday. AllHipHop.com: For someone that didn’t know, what’s different about the Hip-Hop Church? How do you come up with the music that played in the church? Kurtis Blow: The dress code. You can wear whatever you want: your jeans, your sneakers. We’re pretty much non traditional in that manner. We feel that God is not worried about the clothes you have on—it’s about what’s in your heart. When we grew up we were always separate. Going to Sunday school and separated from out parents. In the Hip-Hop Church, parents sit with the kids, fellowship, and have a good time with the kids. No dropping off. Families worship together in unity. My role varies. I can go from the DJ, to the MC. I preach. [i can be a] sound man. It varies from church to church, and service to service. AllHipHop.com: How did you like Nas’s remake of “If I Ruled the World’? Kurtis Blow: Big hit. I loved that song. I’m a big fan of Lauryn Hill. Lauryn was a part of the Fugees and I produced Wyclef back in the days when he first came to this country. He was in a group called The Rap Translators. He used to rap in different languages and I thought he was awesome. Rappin’ in French and Creole. I was trying to get them a deal. Two years later, the demos we worked on got them the deal as the Fugees. Lauryn’s voice is just the most incredible thing and I felt the same way when I heard it on the Nas song. It was raw. I heard the beat and lyrics—all I could say was wow. I listened to it in my car over and over for an hour straight. So I gave them the clearance, we took care of business, Nas was really fair, and I appreciate him and what he does for Hip-Hop. AllHipHop.com: R&B group next sampled Christmas Rappin on there song “Too Close”. Kurtis Blow: Big shout out to Next. Really a shout to the whole year of 1999. Bow Wow did “Basketball”. The younger cats today have shown a lot of love to me and I just want to show that support back to them. I’m not one of these frustrated cats out here. I wanna stress that and make it clear. Please put that in there. I want them to know that this old school cat ain’t frustrated. AllHipHop.com: If you never made it in Hip-Hop, what do you think you would be doing now? Kurtis Blow: I’d probably be a scientist, or a graphic artist. Science was my thing. I wanted to make mechanical hearts so people could live forever. I got side tracked. AllHipHop.com: What’s the biggest compliment you ever got on your work? Kurtis Blow: From Bob Marley. I was at Madison Square Garden. We played New York three nights in a row. I’m standing in the corridor with Bernadette Stanis from Good Times on my left arm and Stacy Dash from Labelle on my right. I’m 19, playing the Garden. There was a big crowd of people moving slow towards us. The crowd got closer, got in front of us, and opened up. Here comes Bob Marley out of the center. He walks straight up to me. My God. He puts his hand up to me, I shake it. In his accent he says, “Kurtis, I love your stuff.” That was it. The crowd closed up and he was gone. I was like, “Oh man! Bob Marley!” That was his last concert. He died like a month later. That was a real honor. See why I’m good? I love everyone. No need for frustration. It’s all a blessing what we have done with Hip-Hop. AllHipHop.com: One last question. What was up with that curl you had? How fly did you think you were? Kurtis Blow: [laughing] The curls got the girls.

This is a lil harsh.. Tupac didnt actualy stood for great Beats to me, dont you think? we've already had this discussion, you dont like 90's west coast beats, but a lot of us do. anyways i was kinda hyped about it when i heard Afeni was gonna supervise this one, but we dont need G-Unit producing tracks and Ashanti, TI, etc putting their vocals on the album IMO. i probably wont buy this unless i peep it and its good. Well Turntable's a big Biggie/Puffy fan so he ain't really into 2Pac and now what AJ said basically backs up my point, from what Pac said in many of interviews would make sense that he wouldn't want to be rapping that much anymore at this point, he'd probably be like Will, make albums every few years and be a respected actor, he was talking about the fake images that a lot of artists was taking in the rap industry and he wasn't with that,and btw there was a rumor that 50 Cent was gonna executive produce it but with Afeni executive producing it, it seems like the same result that it'd would be with 50 executive producing it, a lot of fake rappers that Pac wouldn't put up with, but at least Pac's mother will profit off of it not 50, maybe she figures that it'll sell more putting popular rappers on it to make more for the foundation

They just sent me the bread newsletters that I was missing, they said that it's been happening a lot lately with members and they apologise for it

Yeah that's what I'm gonna do, I checked my junk/bulk folder and didn't see it there

If you're getting drunk to solve problems you'll have more problems when you get up the next morning :jusmindyabizness: Btw, great idea to start this thread on advice, I'll be sure to pop in and give some advice and even ask for some in between

Yeah Turntable I think a lot of us go through bullying in school, really it's just kids looking for attention, like the famous words of FP just "Wave 'Em Off" and btw I'll keep your co-worker in my thoughts AJ

I haven't received the Weekly Bread for the last couple weeks it seems, did it stop?

You could say that it's uncertain what he'd want to do now so that's what makes it even more of a reason why there shouldn't be anymore doctored albums, it's time to let him rest in peace

Yeah all these doctored albums is ridiculous really, in reality with the way the rap game has been lately 2Pac probably wouldn't even want to rap that much anymore, I don't think any of his original fans really respect the way that these doctored albums are being handled either

Afeni Shakur Announces Release Date For Brand New Tupac Album By Clarence Burke Jr. Date: 10/19/2006 9:50 am A new generation of rappers will pay tribute to Tupac Shakur on the upcoming posthumous release by the rapper, titled Pac's Life. Pac's Life, which is the follow-up to 2004's platinum-selling studio album Loyal To The Game, consists of previously unreleased vocals by Tupac combined with new contributions from rappers like Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, T.I., Young Buck, Ashanti, Lil' Scrappy, Carl Thomas, Keyshia Cole, Outlawz, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Big Skye, Papoose and others. Production from Swizz Beatz, LT Hutton, G-Unit's Sha Money XL and others round out the album, which is being executive produced by Afeni Shakur and Tom Whalley, the co-founder of Interscope Records who originally signed Tupac in 1991. "I say it every time, that Tupac left us the blueprints to follow, and without the amazing contributions made by everyone of these artists, producers, musicians, everyone, I do not know how I would get this great task accomplished," Afeni Shakur said. "I believe whole-heartedly that Tupac sends the people he wants to these projects." Pac's Life hits stores Nov. 21

I remember reading Chuck D saying in an interview that the problem in the music industry is that some artists forget about what they do with their music once they get paid a lot, the fame gets to their head and they have no vision in what they want to do with their music, sorta like athletes that get fat on their multi million dollar deals instead of playing hard like they used to before they got the big payday, that's a problem right there, having a bunch of yes men around them really causes them to slack, record labels build them up as superheros then slowly their careers self-destruct, only the strong minded individuals like Chuck D and FP could handle it over a long period of time

Man Rhymefest basically says what I've been saying, if people want rappers to stop rapping about violence we need to eliminate poverty, art imitates life Rhymefest Talks Hip-Hop with Tory Party Leader By Chris Richburg Date: 10/19/2006 2:45 pm Chicago lyricist Rhymefest found common ground Thursday (Oct. 19) while acting as a goodwill Hip-Hop ambassador during his overseas visit with Tory Party leader David Cameron. In addition to discussing Cameron's concerns over violent rap lyrics, the London Metro Times reports that Rhymefest treated the British politician to a performance in his House of Commons office and even invited him to venture with him to a nightclub. Although the pair was in unison about not banning Hip-Hop, they also felt that rappers have a responsibility to portray the positive side of life in their music. "David told me what his issues were and I told him what my issues were with what could be perceived in what he was saying and we came to what I believe was an understanding," said the Grammy-winning rapper, who made no apology for using violent imagery in his lyrics to reflect the reality of Chicago street life. Instead, he encouraged leaders to concentrate on beating poverty rather than criticize musicians. "Politicians, if they don't like what we are saying, then have policy that uproots the disease of poverty instead of policy that promotes poverty and makes the rich richer. If you have policy that kills the disease of poverty, then you can kill the symptom of negative rap." "Rap music comes from urban rebellion," Rhymefest continued as he voiced his opposition to those urging MCs to tone down their lyrics. "What we doing comes from our frustration. Why do we got to change? Why can't the things that cause us to yell out and cry for help change?" Thursday's meeting came as a result of a recent request from Rhymefest to meet Cameron "over a cup of tea" after hearing the politician's criticism of DJs for playing violent songs. The get-together proved to be productive as the duo addressed Cameron's proposals for a "music for good" initiative to use the power of music to raise funds for positive projects, such as community radio stations, around the country. The leader called the meeting "very positive" while harping on the fact that artists, radio stations and the music industry have a responsibility and opportunity to act as positive role models for young people. In addition, Cameron voiced his desire to celebrate and promote the positivity that music does, as well as take a stand against the negative. "I had a very positive meeting with Rhymefest and Sony BMG today and I am keen to work with them in developing the idea of a project which harnesses the tremendous cultural power of artists and the music industry to support community radio and local music projects around the country," said Cameron. As for the politician taking Rhymefest up on his offer to go clubbing, the Metro Times stated that Cameron declined due to his busy schedule.

This is ridiculous, they're obviously targeting him 'cause he's a celebrity, he ain't doing nothing wrong

Yeah it really comes down to what Will desires to do, when the time's right he'll make another album when his mind and soul's into doing it and him and Jazzy are potnas for life so we know sooner or later something's bound to happen again, whether they decide to do more records or just some performances

Well I ain't blaming 50 either, basically it's the way society is, we pay attention more to negative things going on than we do positive things, that negative turned into a positive for him which is a good thing, it's like I said in a poem that I wrote: "Most people only want to talk/About their own troubles/Nothing positive is soft/But we let good things remain undercover/Because it's only cool to talk /About the negative things that happen in a scuffle" Now of course if a rapper tries to stretch the truth it really hurts their popularity in the longrun, like if it's discovered for some reason that 50 really didn't get shot then he won't sell anymore records after that, the talent hasn't really carried his career talent don't sell records, image does, the same thing happened to 2Pac's career after all the turmoil and drama, his record sales skyrocketed the moment he got shot/went to jail than it was before even though he was always talented, Interscope marketed him strongly as well 10 years ago, people talk more about his image now than his music which is kinda sad in a way, in all fairness LL's been popular for so long 'cause of his ladies loving image and that he's a sex symbol, KRS-ONE is just as talented but he don't have that type of appealing image so he ain't popular anymore, Will got hit Hollywood movies so record labels will always sign him whenever he wants to make a record(and the fact that his solo records outsold the JJFP albums says that his career's been more marketable 'cause of his Hollywood fame to a degree) as opposed to another high skilled legend in Rakim who has to wait years to get a record deal since he ain't marketable, btw I gotta add that the moment Janet gained weight her record label didn't want to release her album until she lost it, it's all about image, the music industry is more about image than it is about talent no matter if that artist has a lot of talent or not

This is the best answer in the whole post. All this talk, talk talk, argue argue argue. Will has listened to NWA "F*** The Police" for goodness sakes. And says "That's what everybody felt in their hearts". Of course, how much creditibility does Will stand to make supporting NWA. And as I was skimming thru what people said, I disagree with Ted on how a certain rapper raps, then they will make it. Lie to get what you want? Would anybody listen to me if I said I got shot 10 times? One more than 50, and I'm only 20 years old. haha I wouldn't said more, but there's no need to argue on such a factual topic. I need to learn from Turntable to keep the answer short and simple, lol, now if you or me say we got shot 10 times we'd be lying, 50 really was shot though, that shouldn't be promoted as it is but that really turned to blow his career up, it wasn't his fault but Interscope used that as a promotional tool for when he came out and it helped sell him all those records, if he didn't go through that negativity he wouldn't have made it as big as he has, people are fascinated by that image, and those up and coming rappers that don't go through that drama or choose not to rap about that don't make it on the most part

Bump again, I wanna try to get 10 players like last year, it was very competitive

:iagree: Thanks for sharing

Now Q-Tip's voice is used in a beer commercial but his fans are mostly overage so that seems suitable, Jay-Z appeals to younger fans, even 2Pac/Snoop appealed to a lot of younger fans back then too, what they do doesn't look like a good image for rap, and just 'cause 2Pac did something 10 years ago means that it's right, rappers should learn from his mistakes or else they'll face the same criticisism, the rap game ain't gonna evolve thinking like that, rappers need to follow Will's lead to be responsible to the fans, with the positiion that Jay-Z has he could easily call Gatorade or a soft drink company and the commercial would come off proper for his fans, he don't have to settle for a beer commercial if he don't want to

I remember watching the AMA's last year and saw Will high fiving the country singers when they were winning their awards, cheering like he's a fan of them And again what he says on "Lost and Found" displays how he's critical more of the music industry than he is other rappers 'cause the truth is no matter how real some rappers might claim they are if corporations throw them enough money they'll promote negativity to get it, if the record companies concentrated less on signing the most thugged out rappers and actually looked for the rappers with the most talent then I believe that there'd be more balance in the rap industry and music in general, it's not good for our young girls to grow up either and have anorexia 'cause they want to get to Britney Spears'/Beyonce level, you should be able to get a break in the music industry without changing your image but through hard work and building up talent, now I think Will appreciates acting more 'cause it's more about quality than image, really you gotta be a talented actor to break into Hollywood and it ain't about what role you play in the movies as long as you do it well, it ain't that way with music though it seems, if you don't live up to a certain image in music then you won't sell records or get rewarded on the most part, if "Lost and Found" was a movie it'd been his biggest 'cause the effort he put into that was big but the image that he don't live up to is the reason why it didn't do as well as it should've, but when he puts his heart into movies he don't get any criticism.... Now I don't mind listening to some gangsta rap even if I don't agree with some it's messages, the main thing with me is that the artist is talented, Snoop is a very entertaining artist with the way that he flows but 50 Cent and Young Jeezy annoy me 'cause they can't really flow that well on the most part, and positive rappers are cool but that don't mean that they're all on the same level as Rakim(talking about those like Nick Cannon and Kanye West), really all these labels on rap is weak, I just appreciate talented rap music, I appreciate good music in general beyond any label or an image, Will probably comes across that way too and probably a lot of artists in the music industry, everyone on this board probably has different tastes in music but I think a lot of us come across that way too, the problem is that majority of music buyers don't seem to be that way, they'll put an artist down if that artist don't live up to an image even if the music is good...

They need to do this more than once a year, it's gonna take 25 years to honor everyone that deserves to be, btw here's everyone that should be honored next year to me : JJFP mandatory, we should start a petition if they don't get in next year, lol Kool G Rap Kurtis Blow Slick Rick Heavy D and The Boyz Queen Latifah Naughty By Nature "House Party" movie being honored Scott LaRock tribute

Is this referring to Luda's "Tell It Like It Is"? You should tell us who did the track 'cause all of us might not be familiar, btw I'd have to take "Lost and Found" by far although Luda actually did come strong on his track, Will represents what he's saying better so you gotta go with him there